Suspicion stirring in his heart, Yang Kai turned his head to look at the girl.
Ever since she'd been swept to the ground by his kick, the girl still hadn't gotten up. Her face was a mask of terror and lingering dread, as though she'd suffered a terrible fright, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably.
A moment ago she had come within a hair's breadth of death. That sharp sword had even severed quite a few strands of her hair, and a vivid red mark encircled her neck. She pressed one hand to her pale throat, her entire body drenched in cold sweat.
When she saw Yang Kai look her way, the girl's heart lurched and her face drained of color.
Only now did she truly grasp what kind of existence she had provoked. Seven or eight lives had been extinguished under his hands in less than thirty breaths — calling him a mass murderer would be no exaggeration.
Yang Kai frowned, walked over, and crouched down in front of her.
The girl scrambled backward, her long eyelashes quivering ceaselessly, terrified beyond measure.
With a soft chuckle, Yang Kai gently moved her hand aside, examined the wound on her neck, and said, "Just a superficial wound. Let it heal properly and not even a trace will remain."
As he spoke, he reached into his robes, produced a healing pill, and offered it to her.
The girl forced a thin smile. "I have pills..."
Her wariness was quite sharp. Yang Kai didn't mind; he put his own pill away. The girl kept watching him timidly, and only when she saw that he seemed to bear no ill intent did she finally muster the courage to pull out a bottle of her own and swallow a pill.
"When he had you pinned, couldn't you have leaned back?" Yang Kai asked with a frown.
"I... I've never fought anyone before..." The girl flushed slightly. Growing up, she had always trained, but at most she'd engaged in friendly sparring — she had never experienced life-and-death combat. With a sword pressed to her throat, she had instantly lost all presence of mind, not knowing what to do.
Yang Kai studied her carefully. The girl had fair, tender skin and wore rather elegant clothing. Though she appeared somewhat quirky and mischievous, she carried a unique bearing that lesser factions simply could not cultivate in their members.
She had to be the young lady of some great family! No wonder she looked about his age yet possessed peak Separation-Union Realm strength. And her combat experience was so woefully lacking.
The result of a sheltered upbringing.
"How did you run into those people?"
"How should I know!" The girl immediately grew aggrieved. "I left home — ahem — I was out traveling when those people suddenly appeared out of nowhere. If I hadn't been quick on my feet, they would have caught me long ago. And they were all so ugly. It was terrifying!"
Yang Kai couldn't help but crack a slight smile.
Seeing that he seemed easy to talk to, the girl's courage grew. Her almond eyes narrowed as she glared at Yang Kai. "And you — why did you throw me back to them? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? If I'd really died, I wouldn't let you off even as a ghost! I'd follow you around every single day and annoy you to death!"
Yang Kai gazed into the distance, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Only after a long pause did he withdraw his gaze and speak in a low voice, "Perhaps your shout was just a thoughtless impulse, but what if it had been someone else without any real strength? With bad luck, they would have been hacked to pieces on the spot."
The girl froze, her eyes flickering. She lowered her head and murmured softly, "I was wrong..."
Then she looked up again, still aggrieved. "But you were too cruel! They say you should draw your sword when you see injustice. You're so strong — even if I used you a little, what does it matter?"
Yang Kai chuckled softly and didn't bother explaining.
When those big men had surrounded the girl, the lustful gleam in their eyes had not escaped Yang Kai's notice. He had intended to follow them after they left, quietly observing the situation, but they hadn't even been willing to let him go. That suited him just fine — killing them all wrapped things up neatly.
He stood up. Ignoring the girl's shouts and accusations, Yang Kai deployed his movement technique and headed toward Medicine King Valley.
The girl was stunned for a moment, then scrambled to her feet and hurried after him. They were only a few li from Medicine King Valley, and she was terrified that more villains might suddenly appear from somewhere. Naturally, she wanted to get inside the valley for safety as quickly as possible.
She chased after Yang Kai's figure, but once they entered the valley town, she completely lost sight of him.
"He's only a little older than me, yet his strength is incredible — which family does he belong to?" the girl muttered to herself. She pondered for a long while but couldn't match him to any known figure, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration.
Upon entering the valley town, the mingled fragrance of medicinal herbs washed over them, leaving one feeling refreshed and invigorated. Yang Kai strolled casually through the town and found that every shop, apart from inns and restaurants, dealt exclusively in business related to herbs and pills.
Common and uncommon spirit grasses, miraculous fruits, extraordinary medicines — they had it all. All manner of medicinal ingredients were displayed on the shelves, and many that he'd never even heard of were readily available in abundance. The selection was dazzling.
As expected of Medicine King Valley! Yang Kai silently praised.
This was the kind of scene that, for any alchemist who set foot here, would make leaving impossible. Alchemists held a special fondness and passion for medicinal ingredients, and with so many treasures to entice them, it would be strange if they wanted to depart.
In every shop, many visiting martial artists stood browsing or haggling with the shopkeepers over medicinal ingredients.
There were also numerous alchemists conducting business, helping martial artists refine pills.
However, all the alchemists within the valley town were disciples of Medicine King Valley! The martial artists who came here seeking pill refinement were mostly drawn by Medicine King Valley's reputation and naturally wouldn't seek out alchemists from other factions.
Yang Kai wandered for quite some time, admiring and observing as he went, and noticed that these alchemists were classified into grades.
Corresponding to the grades of heavenly treasures and earth treasures, they were divided into Mortal Grade, Earth Grade, Heaven Grade, and Mysterious Grade, each further subdivided into upper, middle, and lower tiers.
Most of what he saw were Earth Grade alchemists. For instance, the one presiding over this particular shop wore a silver two-petal flower embroidered on his chest, marking him as a middle-tier Earth Grade alchemist — meaning he could proficiently produce middle-tier Earth Grade pills.
Each petal corresponded to one grade, and the three colors — gold, silver, and white — corresponded to the upper, middle, and lower tiers. By the embroidery on an alchemist's robe, one could immediately tell at a glance what level they were.